"Even to hell?" I asked him, trying to stop his rant. "See... I needed to figure out who I was, what I wanted to do with my life before I lunged back into the swamp again. It hurts me to tell you this, but I just started to understand what my true calling in life is, and I have so much left to accomplish."

"Don't you think I understand? I can see it in you. I have been seeing it for years and it is the sole reason I keep pushing. I keep making changes; try to do what little I can so that I can call myself worthy of you."

"What is going on here?" David.

Anthony's head snapped up towards him.

"How long have you been here?" Harmless intimidation. He is just pouring out his frustrations on the man who dared to ask me out while he was watching.

"Long enough," he said with a forced smile. "Mia, is this the acquaintance of yours?" I nodded.

"Anthony, this is David. He presented a paper!" I introduced.

"I did hear you present. It was a well-researched paper. It may not be my area of expertise, but you could read a couple of books translated from Sanskrit that venture into the function of the Vedic system and also how literature had an impact on the overall growth of the empire."

Let the pissing contest begin.

"Thank you. I will surely look this up. I didn't catch your name, though..." he didn't sound like the shy man that I had first heard him to be. He was almost angry for being kept from his companion. I had forgotten how people could change when they sensed competition, I could clearly see what Anthony was doing.

He was telling this academician that he may not have the degree, but his knowledge exceeded David's. I would have found it amusing had I not admired the David.

"Anthony Murray," he said, his arms extending forward. David took his hand, looking confused for a moment. And then something akin to recognition flashed across his features. Not knowing what to do, I stood up and placed myself between them.

"Anthony. I will see you later. I need to speak to David. I promised him a lot of questions and food." I gave him a slight nod before turning and moving towards the table we had been occupying earlier.

I sat down and tried to eat my already cold noodles. I saw David plop down on his chair a while later. I looked up to see him staring at me.

"You said he was an acquaintance of yours?" he sounded so confused. I nodded. "His name sounds familiar, and I must be mistaken by his identity." I laughed it off, pretending to not know what he meant.

Of course, a lot of people had heard Anthony's name; he was a big name in the underworld, after all.

"You've known him for a long time?" he asked. His curiosity was overshadowed with worry.

"Since I was a child," I whispered conspiratorially. "I hated him for the longest time." My heart skipped a beat when I remembered all those moments when I felt nothing but love for the very same man.

That day was really a day filled with memories.

"Well, let's discuss your paper again," I told him and then proceeded on to asking him questions. I would have hoped that he was engaged in the conversation, but he seemed distracted, like meeting with Anthony had left me not only confused but a bit uneasy with the situation.

"It seems like today is not for free-flowing conversations!" I giggled when he snapped out of his reverie. "Everything okay?"

"I suppose." He paused. "You really know him?" I nodded. "And you like him?" I shrugged. I wasn't lying. Not for something so trivial. "You're friends with a mobster?" he gasped, his words came out strangled and forceful. I, myself, choked on my food and coughed for a moment to regain composure.

"I am sorry?"

[I forgot to mention, we reached 200 chapters a while back and I am so happy. Thank you so much for your continued support. Be sure to share the story with others and leave a couple of comments in the comments section so that I can overcome the bout of sadness I feel at the moment. Looking forward to reading what you thought. See you soon.]